The
plot, typical of this always narrative-challenged
director, is just an excuse for a series of gorgeously
fetishized set-pieces. It seems that Peter Kleist
(Antonio Cantafora), the young descendant of Baron Otto
von Kleist (a Vlad the Impaler style madman from 300
years ago), has finished his M.A. and come to Austria to
look into his heritage. There he meets architecture
student Eva Arnold (Elke Sommer), and the two of them
decide to conjure up his ancestor. Happily, Peter brings
along an ancient scroll telling him exactly how to
resurrect this monster. Unhappily, the Baron indeed
returns, wreaking havoc on the locals and trying to
murder Peter and Eva, who unwittingly hold the secret to
sending him back into the dustbin of history.

Bava’s murdering id-figures are always stylish, and the
Baron, at least in the more evil of his two guises here,
is no exception. When first resurrected, and
intermittently throughout the film, he’s seen as a kind
of hamburger-faced mock-Phantom of the Opera, with
slouch hat and cape and rapid, elegant movements as he
careens from victim to victim. (Visually he’s a twin of
the masked, cloaked murderer of
Blood and Black Lace.) Of course, he looks
especially good next to "Alfred Becker" (Joseph Cotten),
a mysterious cripple who’s in fact — in a point the film
telegraphs instantly — the Baron. Cotten’s presence adds
marquee value, in spite of a pretty dreadful, disengaged
performance. Sommer, with her vinyl micro-minis and
Carnaby Street hats, is one of the least convincing
architecture students in cinema history; she spends most
of the film running and screaming, which she admittedly
does well. The other actors are mostly disposable and
forgettable.

High
Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD
presentation of three versions of the film: Gli orrori del
castello di Norimberga with Italian opening and closing
titles and Baron Blood with English opening and closing
titles and the European English export version audio, and
for the first time on home video, the AIP version with
alternate score by Les Baxter• Three
audio versions: Optional Italian, European English and AIP
English re-dub and re-score• English
SDH subtitles and a new English subtitle translation of the
Italian audio• Audio
Commentary with Bava biographer and expert Tim Lucas• Introduction
to Baron Blood by author and critic Alan Jones• Trailers
for Baron Blood• Baron
Blood Radio Spots• Reversible
sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by
Graham Humphreys• Collector
s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Oliver James,
illustrated with original archive stills and posters

ADDITION: Arrow - Region 'B' Blu-ray
- April 2013': Arrow goes above-and-beyond offering three version of the
film in 1080P (seamlessly branched for 2 - AIP version looks like a
separate encode - running time 1:30:30): Gli orrori del castello di
Norimberga with Italian opening and closing titles and Baron
Blood with English opening and closing titles and the European
English export version audio, and for the first time on home video, the
AIP version with alternate score by Les Baxter. Compared to the Kino -
the image quality is very close - with a similar file-size and bitrate.
Colors may be marginally richer on the US edition - but it is not
significant.

They also include three audio versions: optional Italian, European
English and AIP English re-dub and re-score as well as English SDH
subtitles and a new and English subtitle translation of the Italian
audio. Extras include the excellent Lucas audio commentary, a short
introduction to Baron Blood by author and critic Alan Jones and trailers
and Radio Spots for Baron Blood. The package has a reversible sleeve
featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys
and it contains a Collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film
by Oliver James, illustrated with original archive stills and posters.
This is easily the definitive release of Bava's classic.

Our own Eric Cotenas has written this
about the extras: "As with the Arrow’s other Bava releases, the disc
opens with an introduction by Alan Jones. He mentions that producer
Alfredo Leone wanted Vincent Price for the lead, but Price declined
because of his disastrous experience with Bava shooting DR. GOLDFOOT
AND THE GIRL BOMBS. He also points out the influence of Val Lewton’s
works on BARON BLOOD (although not HOUSE OF WAX which
surely inspired the Baron stalking Eva through the fog), and the effects
work of Carlo Rambaldi (the clips in the introduction are derived from
the older SD master and are not indicative of the feature presentation
quality of either the Blu or the included DVD edition). Tim Lucas’
commentary from the second Anchor Bay Bava box set is carried over to
this edition. He has no shortage of production details and background
(including Bava vetoing the use of the castle from WHERE EAGLES DARE
because it was unfurnished and it was impractical to run cables up to
it). He points out visual references to Bava’s previous horror films as
well as hommages to other directors’ works like Jacques Tourneur’s
THE LEOPARD MAN (and also mentions that the titular character of
the Joe Dante-directed “Shadow Man” episode of the eighties version of
THE TWILIGHT ZONE was based on the baron’s look in this film),
and gives background information on all of the cast members and crew
members, including the whereabouts of the surviving members (apparently
Nicoletta Elmi is now a dentist), as well as American scripter Vincent
Fotre. Lucas also muses on some unexplored threads of the plot, like a
more sinister interpretation of the protagonist’s desire to get back to
his roots.

The American International Pictures edit of BARON BLOOD on this
release is a reconstruction using the European HD master. The American
version was mostly cut for pacing and had Stelvio Cipriani’s more
diverse score replaced with a spookier-though-bomastic accompaniment by
AIP’s in-house composer Les Baxter (who also rescored Bava’s
BLACK SUNDAY,
BLACK SABBATH, and THE EVIL EYE). The reconstruction is
not total, however, as it does not include the alternate take of Dr.
Hesse’s death (the AIP version had the doctor’s collar occluding the
camera’s view of his throat wound) which can be seen in the American
trailer on the disc; but it’s of little consequence when one considers
that the reason most will want this version is for the Baxter score.
Since it is a reconstruction, it is framed in the same 1.74:1 ratio
(presumably chosen based on the hard-matting of the title sequences)
while the AIP version was projected at 1.85:1.

Italian horror director Ruggero Deodato is on hand for a featurette not
on BARON BLOOD specifically, but on Bava himself (Deodato did not
work with Bava, but Lamberto Bava had served as an assistant on several
of Deodato’s commercials and early feature films), accompanied by clips
from several of Bava’s films. It’s not really a substantial piece at
all, but hopefully Arrow will remember to grab Deodato again if they
release an Antonio Margheriti film since Deodato got his start in
features working under that director who also contributed some major
Italian gothics. The American trailer and radio spots are carried over
from the Anchor Bay release, but Arrow adds a fascinating Italian
trailer that includes psychedelic opticals not unlike the ones seen in
the trailer for
A BAY OF BLOOD (it also includes some of the same
illustrations). There’s no dialogue, but there is a lot of screaming and
a mix of different Cipriani tracks from the score (as well as some cool
onscreen splashes of the Italian title). “Bava at Work” is a montage of
rare behind-the-scenes stills. The combo (which splits the versions and
extras between two DVDs) includes a reversible cover with vintage poster
art on the back, as well as an illustrated booklet with an essay by
James Oliver, which astutely points out that the film – despite its
Italian director, cast, crew, and German locations – is actually an
American production. The background provided in the essay will be
nothing new if you’ve already heard the commentary (or read Lucas’
twelve-pound Bava book), but Oliver’s reappraisal makes a fitting
introduction to newbies."

***

ADDITION: Kino Lorber - Region 'A' Blu-ray
- December 2012': Solid - the new 1080P transfer improves with tighter
detail, bolder colors (check out the fire and Elke's red shawl), and
less artifacts. It is a solid upgrade - dual layered with a high
bitrate. Grain is a shade blotchy but I think most Bava fans will be
quite pleased with the 1.74:1 appearance.

Audio goes lossless via a linear PCM track that also sounds better to my
ear. Effects can be piercing with some depth. English only. No subtitles
are offered on the region 'A'-locked disc.

Supplements also eclipse - nudging ahead of the Anchor Bay. The
excellent commentary is still there from Tim Lucas. We also get the
Italian title sequences (Opening and End), Italian and English trailers,
3 Radio Spots and 4 other Mario Bava trailers. A good release - one we
can recommend to fans of the genre.

***

ON THE DVDs: While Raro's disc of
BARON
BLOOD was an improvement over the non-anamorphic Image DVD
(16:9 enhancement, featurette, slightly better sound),
Anchor Bay's DVD is the best this title has seen with
improved color, clearer audio, and an informative commentary
by Tim Lucas (not the best of the set but even he has stated
that he would have rather commented on FIVE DOLLS FOR AN
AUGUST MOON but AB wanted him to do BARON BLOOD).

Unlike the Italian version
of BAY OF BLOOD, the Italian dialogue of BARON BLOOD is not
as smart as that of the English version as the subtitle
sample from the Raro disc bares out (the script for BARON
BLOOD originated with an American writer) so the English
track is the superior option (even better would be the
American International Picture's track which features the
same dubbing but replaces Stelvio Cipriani's travelogue
score with one by Les Baxter that really hammers home the
scares).